


After the Reckoning

by orphan_account



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi, Post-Canon, Threesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-07
Updated: 2014-01-07
Packaged: 2018-01-07 20:28:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1124046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the events of Star Trek Into Darkness, Carol, Kirk, and McCoy grow closer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	After the Reckoning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Etnoe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Etnoe/gifts).



 

 

Carol was on Earth when the Enterprise saved the planet from Nero's forces. James. Kirk and his crew had been greeted with a wave of celebration. They were heroes.

This time is different. This time they are met with suspicion. Kirk and Spock may have stopped her father and defeated Khan Noonien Singh , but thousands of people lie dead from the Vengeance's crash on Earth. The Federation wants answers. They want to know why the head of Starfleet had been involved in a mass conspirarcy to start war with the Klingons. They want to know how a search to bring one man to justice had ended with the loss of so many innocent lives.

Carol herself hobbles on her injured leg to what's left of Starfleet HQ, eager to help in the search for her father's co-conspirators. The sessions last hours. They analyze every detail, every aspect of her life over the past year. Of course Carol wants to help the investigative committee, but she can't escape the accusing looks in their eyes. The Enterprise's testimony, particularly Scotty's, may have exonerated her of any direct involvement in her father's plans, but she's still a traitor's daughter. The Vengeance had still been equipped with weapons she had designed.

And then there are the nightmares, recurring memories of a madman smashing her father's skull in while Carol lay helpless to stop him. She always wakes up sweating, wishing it really was just a dream. He may have been a traitor, but Alexander Marcus had still her father, the last of her family.

Since her old friends refuse to speak to her, Carol finds herself spending what little free time she has with the Enterprise crew. There's a little bar on the outskirts of San Francisco that they all frequent regularly. It's Carol that walks in there one night to find Uhura sitting in the corner, on the brink of tears.

“What's wrong?, Carol asks, after seating herself at Uhura's table and ordering them a couple of Cardassian sunrisers.

“It's Spock. Those assholes at Starfleet headquarters have him under investigation for gross incompetence. It makes no sense, he had no way of predicting what would happen when he detonated the torpedos!”

Carol sighs. Years of working with her father have left her all too familiar with Starfleet's bureaucractic system. She reaches across the table and pats Uhura's hand.

“They're looking for a scapegoat. With my father dead and Khan out of the picture, they need someone to place the blame on. Trust me Nyota, they'll come to their senses. Spock did what he had to do to save us, it was a lose-lose situation.”

Nyota looks unconvinced, but she does take a sip of her drink.

….

Carol was right. Two months pass. Starfleet continues to investigate its own internal corruption, but clears the crew of the Enterprise is cleared of all charges. Jim Kirk is declared a hero and receives the deep space mission he so desperately wanted. Everyone else gets six months of shore leave and Carol can finally bury her father.

….

Even in death Alexander Marcus is not free of Starfleet's wrath. Posthumously stripped of his rank, his remains were unceremoniously cremated and given to Carol. She briefly considers not holding a funeral at all, but reasons someone somewhere will want to say goodbye to her father.

It's a drab affair, attended by a couple of distant relatives on her mother's side and a few Starfleet officers not involved in the scandal. She's surprised to see Admiral Soto in attendance, one of her father's fiercest opponests on the Federation council and current acting head of Starfleet.

A few scant words, a small bit of ceremony, and the man Carol never really knew is dead and buried. She stands at the doors of the church in her black dress and flashes fake smiles as the guests come one by one to offer their condolences.

“I think I speak for..uh..most of us, when I say how truly sorry I am for you loss, Dr. Marcus.”

Carol looks up into a pair of very familiar blue eyes and gasps in shock.

“Jim, what the hell are you doing here?”

Kirk cracks an embarrased smile that Carol would have found charming on any other occasion.

“I know, I know, it's bad form to crash funerals but I just couldn't bear to think of you going through this thing.... Okay, I actually wanted to talk to you about something.”

Carol places her hands on her hips.

“You couldn't send me a message?”

“Nah, I prefer to do these things with a more personal touch.”

The rest of the guests have departed, leaving Carol free to drag Jim over to the churchyard.

“Fine, what is it?”

“Well, I was looking over the crew manifesto for our five year mission and was surprised to see your name missing.”

“It's not missing, Jim. I never signed up. I'm resigning from Starfleet. Didn't anyone tell you?”

Kirk shakes his head in confusion.

“Come on Carol, you can't give up just like that. You're one of the best scientists in the fleet. Even Scotty doesn't know a photon torpedo like-”

Carol cuts him off angrily. “Jim, trust me when I tell you that if I never lay my hands on another photon torpedo in my life it will be too soon.”

“Okay, well, science officer, Spock's been pulling double duty. He's so Vulcan that he'll never complain, but I know he and Uhura would appreciate some alone time.”

Carol sighs in frustration. “You just don't get it. All my dreams, everything my father lead to believe in...they've all been shattered. I can't just go back into space and pretend none of this ever happened.”

For the first time since her father's death, Carol can feel tears streaming down her face. Jim holds her close and soon the shoulder of his leather jacket is wet with her tears.

“Thank you,” she says, when they finally break apart.

“Just promise me Carol,” he says as he wipes the remaing tears from her face, “that you won't quit right away. Please, give my offer some thought.

Carol looks into his beautiful blue eyes, ( _heartbreaker eyes,_ as Christine dubbed them), and finds she can't say no.

“Fine,” she says, standing on her tiptoes to kiss Jim on the cheek, “I'll think about it.”

…

Free of any obligations in San Francisco, Carol returns to her personal residence in Louth. Her flat is comfortable and safe. As far as Carol can remember, her father never set foot inside of her barely-used flat. A place free from painful memories.

Still, the nightmares continue. Khan's face haunts her dreams. Carol takes to doing research in the middle of the night, while the rain pounds against the roof of her apartment.

She meant what she said to Kirk, she's done with weapons, but there are other projects Carol put on hold while she worked for her father. There are scientific theories and experiements that promise life instead of death. Carol spends hours lost in the vortex of discovery, at times forgetting to eat or sleep.

…

She's been in self-imposed isolation for six weeks when she receives her first visitor. Carol is so engrossed in her studies that she doesn't even hear the buzzer the first time...or the second. It's the fifth ring, accompanied by a muffled male voice shouting her name, that finally jars her back to reality.

She opens the door, expecting to see Jim and his boyish smile. A far more welcome surprise greets her.

“Dr. McCoy, I didn't expect to see you here!”

“Oh please, it's Bones...or Leonard, if you insist. We're long past formalities, Carol.”

“Well, Leonard, what brings you here.”

“We haven't seen you in weeks, Carol. I took it upon myself to make a doctor's call.”

“A doctor's call, is that there is to it?” Carol responds teasingly.

“Well, that and a chance to introduce a beautiful woman to some fine southern cooking.”

She laughs and leads him towards the living area.

McCoy glances around her kitchen and begins to unpack his bag. Carol laughs when she sees he's brought his own pots and pans.

“Now, why don't you go take a seat, Dr. Marcus and I'll call you when....my god woman, when was the last time you had a good night's sleep.”

Too late, Carol realizes they're directly across from the window, where the sunlight is no doubt illuminating the bags under her eyes.

McCoy has already whipped out his tricorder.

“And you've lost 15 pounds. There's no trace of any type of infection. What have you been doing to yourself?”

“Well doctor,” Carol says in an awkward attempt to lighten the mood, “it looks like you came just in time.”

…

The meal is absolutely delicious. Carol plops herself down on the couch, stuffed, while McCoy, ever the Southern gentleman, puts away the dishes. He returns with a bottle of brandy and two glasses.

“So,” McCoy says,” after they're both well and thoroughly buzzed, “Jim tells me that you're talking about leaving Starfleet.”

“It's not just talk, Bones, I've all but submitted my resignation. Starfleet was my father's dream, not mine. Research is my true passion.”

McCoy nods. “It'd still be a crying shame to lose a good officer like you, Carol.”

“Oh, I'm not leaving the Federation entirely. Here, let me show you my newest pet project.”

She hands her research tablet over to him and watches as McCoy reads in silence.

“The Genesis Project? You've got to be kidding me, Carol! Creating life from nothingness?”

“Oh, it's all theoretical for the moment. It will be decades before I'm finished.”

McCoy shakes his head in disbelief. “It sounds like a whole lot of crazy to me, Carol, but that's what I always say about new technology.”

“What a strange thing to hear from a man who's going to spend the next five years in deep space.”

Her companion groans. “Someone has to keep that kid in line.”

Carol laughs. “Speaking of James T. Kirk, I imagine he's wondering where you are right now. Oh, don't look so shocked, even Spock knows about you two.”

McCoy sighs and lays his head back on the couch. “Jim's probably hitting on a blonde in a bar somewhere. He won't ever notice I was gone. We have an arrangement, if you haven't noticed.”

Carol leans forward and kisses the doctor.

“Then I hope he won't mind if I steal you for a little while.”

…

Leonard McCoy is a wonderful lover and in many ways even more beautiful than Kirk. He's also safe. Carol has no time for emotional attachements while her life is in such a state of flux. Leonard stops by every few days, but Carol is content knowing their relationship will end as soon as the Enterprise leaves port.

…

Surprisingly, Scotty's the one that brings her back to San Francisco.

“I need someone who knows what they're doing to take a look at the warp nacelles, lassie. Something's just not right.” Little Keenser nods in agreement over the viewscreen.

…

“Well, the dilithium core looks stable. Let's check out the rest of this place.”

“I can't begin to thank you for this, Dr. Marcus. But, if you wouldn't mind, I hope you can keep this little inspection between us. It's just, I've got a reputation to keep.”

Carol laughs. “Your secrets safe with me, Scotty. And I think I've just found the source of your problem.”

She pulls out a bologna sandwich from under the dilithium converter.

“Huh,” she says. Keenser points in Scotty's direction.

“I haven't the foggiest idea how that got there!”

“As I said, Scotty, your secret's safe with me.”

It's all she can do from to stop herself from bursting into fits of laughter on the way to the transporter room. She rounds the next corridor and finds herself face to face with James T. Kirk.

“Carol,” he says in surprise, “I didn't expect to see you up here...or ever, actually.”

“Oh, Scotty wanted me to see what he's done to engineering. You know what he's like, always showing off."

“Oh yes, he's quite proud of this old bird..and so am I to be honest. Can you believe Starfleet wanted to turn her into scrap metal and give us a new ship?”

“Well, I'm glad they changed their minds.”

“Hey, you wouldn't happen to have a few spare minutes, Carol? There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about.”

Curiosity gets the better of her.

“Is the mess hall open, Captain?”

…

“So, I ran into your friend Christine the other day. Actually, I didn't even know who she was at first. She threw her drink in my face.”

“Well, captain, it sounds like you got what you deserved.”

“To be fair, I did try to apologize to her but she walked away before I was finished. Listen, McCoy tells me you two have been spending a lot of time together, lately.”

“And? I got the impression you were fine with it.”

“No, no, it's not that, it's...I don't know how else to put it, Carol. Ever since your father's funeral, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you.”

Carol stares at him in shock.

“I know you're leaving Starfleet to...grow planets and stuff, but I just couldn't let you go without telling you how I feel. There's been no one else since I came back to Earth, Bones can tell you that. Well, no one else except for him. Oh, what the heck.”

Jim's kiss is full of passion and reckless abandon. For a moment she returns the kiss, leaning into his embrace. Then she remembers who he is and snaps back to reality.

“I'm sorry, Jim, but I have an important meeting with Admiral Soto that can't wait.”

She grabs her things and hurries towards the transporter room.

…

“Carol Marcus, it's only been six years since you graduated the Academy at the top of your class and you're already one of the most decorated scientistis in the fleet. Would you mind explaining why you're leaving us so soon?

“Well, it's all in my letter, admiral. I've been offered a position on Regula I as one of their chief scientists.”

Admiral Soto sighs and places Carol's letter on the table.

“Believe it or not, Carol, I know what you're going through.”

“I'm sorry, ma'am, I don't...understand.”

“Do you remember how the Enterprise's warp core nearly blew up on its way to Kronos?”

“Yes, ma'am, of course I do,” Carol replies, not sure where the admiral is going with this conversation.

“My son was the man responsible for that act of sabotage. He's currently serving out his sentence at a minimum-security prison on Mars.”

“Admiral, you have my deepest condolences.”

“There's no need for that kind of sympathy, Lieutenant. What I'm trying to say is that you're not the only one who has to live with the shame of having a loved one who's betrayed the Federation.”

Carol starts to protest but the Admiral motions her to stop.

“If research is what you really want to do with your life, I'll accept your resignation. If you're just running away from your father's legacy, that's another thing entirely. I would say to my own daughter if I had one, you need to follow your heart. Take a cople days to think about this, Dr. Marcus. If you still want to leave the fleet, I'll be happy to take your resignation.

Carol doesn't walk as much as stumble from the room, trying to choke back a sob.

 …

She wanders the streets of San Francisco in a state of confusion. Ever since her father's death, she's been living behind a series of emotional safetynets. Somehow, Admiral Soto had managed to break through her emotional barriers in the span of five minutes.

Rounding the corner, Carol finds herself standing in front of her father's old house. She silently curses herself for acting on autopilot.

'Well it's now or never,' she thinks, 'I can't avoid this place forever.'

Starfleet had throughly searched her father's residence, but the building was still legally Carol's. She cautiously enters her keycode and the doors slide open.

The house smells like forensic chemicals, but otherwise everything is the same as before, even the portraits lining the walls are still in place.

A picture of five-year Carol playing on the beach stares back at her from the living room. Lined up next to it is a prom picture of Carol and an ex-boyfriend whose name she can't even remember. And finally, on the far side of the wall, lies Carol's graduation photo. Alexander Marcus has his arm around her, smiling with fatherly pride.

She stares at the portraits as if they were relics from another life. In a way they are. Then, she turns and leaves the house as quietly as she had come. Alexander Marcus is dead. It's time for Carol to find a family of her own.

...

She knocks on Kirk and McCoy's door, not caring if it's 4 in the morning. Jim answers, clad only in boxer shorts.

“Carol,” he says in surprise, “I...what can we help you with.”

“I'm changed my mind.”

…

McCoy insists the three of them make a trip to Yosemite before they leave. Jim brings an enourmous sleeping bag and they all climb into it, snuggled together under the stars.

“Never thought I'd say it, but I've never been this happy,” McCoy says.

Carol laughs. “Neither can I, actually. What about you Jim?”

“Well, there was this one time on Rygel IV that-”

“Shut up Jim!,” they say in unison. Carol gives him a good kick in the shins to remember by.

She sleeps soundly that night as she has since the day she decided to stay in Starfleet, the same day that she admitted her feelings to Kirk and McCoy. The nightmares are gone. Carol Marcus is finally free.


End file.
